SOME HISTORY

The word 'sgraffito" originates in Italian and means scratching. It is similar to (and probably developed from) the term graffiti , which developed from the Italian term ' graffiare ' (to scratch a surface).

Once sgraffito pottery was an embellishment of the palaces of the Venetian doges, the Byzantine emperors, and the Bulgarian tzars. Sgraffito had been the regal earthenware in Europe's aristocratic estates before porcelain came in from China. Sgraffito has ever since retained its "blue blood".

Sgraffito is decoration scratched or inscribed into the layers of the surface of clay while still soft, and for beauty of effect depends either solely upon lines incised according to design, with the resulting contrast of surfaces; or partly upon such lines and contrast, and partly upon an under-coat of colour revealed by the incisions. The ware is made in dark clay, then coated with slip, a liquid clay, usually in a lighter color. All that is necessary is choosing a slip color that is distinctly different enough in color from the clay body that the contrast will be visible when the pot is glazed and fired. The design is carved through the light-colored slip so the darker clay shows through. When the piece is glazed and fired, the decorative carvings appear on the surface.